Seventy-two year old Grace Winters is recently widowed, living a life without joy, and quietly fading. When a former student writes sharing his hardships with her without any expectation of a response, he receives a fantastical tale, which she swears is true, explaining how her life radically changed when a former colleague left her her house in Ibiza. Still wracked with guilt over the death of her son decades earlier, Grace has convinced herself she doesn’t deserve happiness. The unexpected inheritance pushes her out of her comfort zone and into a mysterious world. Christina disappeared in mysterious circumstances and the people in the know don’t even seem sure she’s actually died. The home she’s been left is not grand but shows the life Christina had, imperfect but largely happy, doing what she loved. Grace is warned away from Alberto Ribas, but soon finds herself so intrigued that she’s out on the water in the middle of the night with him, where she encounters La Presencia. Her life will never be the same again.
Bestowed with new talents - the ability to read people’s minds, and more so, to change their behaviour. To start with she uses her new powers in small ways - stopping obnoxious customers being difficult, freeing sealife destined for the frying pan, and getting people to move out of her way. Soon however, she realises that the precious Es Vedrà is at risk of redevelopment, destroying the natural habitat and a place of spiritual importance to the local population. Will her powers allow her to overcome an opponent whose powers seem to be just as strong, and whose ruthlessness has got him far?
The letter from Maurice, Grace’s former student, at the beginning of the novel raises a number of themes that recur throughout - grief, guilt, responsibility, but also worries about the future of the planet. Grace’s journey exposes a side of Ibiza that tourists rarely see, and considers the importance of preserving the natural world. Art’s previous developments, while pretending to be eco-friendly, have laid waste to natural flora and fauna, and his arrogant belief that people do not care enough to show up in great numbers to prevent the same being done to his latest target on Ibiza is a damning indictment against those who put personal wealth above the health of the planet, and thus the very future of humanity and all the other living things that call this planet home. Thankfully, there are those who are willing to fight even when it feels hopeless, and maybe, just maybe, with Grace on their side they stand a chance.
It takes a lot for Grace to move to Ibiza, but more so to open her mind to La Presencia and accept the strange reality of her new talents. She has a logical, mathematical mind, and La Presencia demands she let go of logic. In so doing, with a bit of a nudge, her world view begins to change and she opens herself up to new possibilities. There are heavy moments in this novel, Grace’s sense of herself is dark. ‘You see, the problem was this: I sincerely believed I wasn’t a good person who deserved happiness. … And that guilt got into my soul and convinced me I was faulty at a fundamental level. And when you believe that, you act on it. … Don’t get me wrong. My capacity for guilt pre-dated Daniel … But Daniel’s death solidified guilt as my defining feature. Something I had to carry forever.’ Her son had wanted to go to the shops with her but she said no, instead he went out on his bike in the rain and she never saw him alive again. Her grief and guilt is written painfully throughout. The tragedy of her son’s death is raw, but perhaps more so the half life she lived as a result, the marriage that never regained its happiness, the torture of blaming herself forever for something that wasn’t her fault. La Presencia allows her the opportunity to see Christina again, perhaps it can also help her to finally lay old ghosts to rest. We see time and again how Grace feels about herself, how little value she feels, yet it’s clear that she matters to those she knows. She showed Christina kindness that stayed with her without even thinking about it. Kindness that changed the course of her life. Maurice too, obviously values her opinion and experiences. Twenty year olds don’t often write to former teachers unless they have touched their lives. We can see the goodness in her and how she is doing herself a disservice in dwelling on her mistakes, real or imagined. She feels her lack of happiness more strongly on Ibiza too, where happiness is ingrained in everything, the contrast is stronger than in her old bungalow. In Ibiza, age doesn’t matter, octogenarians go clubbing with twenty year olds and nobody bats an eyelid. It is invigorating and freeing when you aren’t defined by expectation. As the book progresses we see Grace open herself up to this.
Haig writes in his characteristic blend of people and situations that sear themselves into your heart and slightly fantastical scenarios. This book felt more fantastical than his previous work but at the heart of it all are humans trying to find their way. We see in the characters around Grace the truth that you don’t have to be perfect to be worthy of happiness, and that every life touches those around them. The mystery of what happened to Christina, and the drama around Art and Es Vedrà add intrigue and excitement. An unusual but enjoyable book that makes you question what kind of mark you are leaving on this Earth.
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